Can Japanese Firms Get Along with Highly Skilled Foreign Workers? : Intentions among Former International Students to Settle and Work in Japan

On the grounds that there are deficits in the work force, the Japanese government has proposed policies to facilitate the hiring of highly skilled foreign workers and to encourage Japanese firms to create conducive work environments for such workers. However, it remains unclear whether highly skilled foreign workers at Japanese firms intend to settle and work in Japan and whether firms’ implementation of human resources management (HRM) has been effective. This paper addresses these questions based on data obtained in a survey of former international students; international students have recently drawn attention as a source of highly skilled workers. We conducted an empirical analysis and offer the following suggestions. First, regarding settling and working in Japan, HRM policies that address former international students’ career development and position as foreigners must be implemented; doing so can reduce feelings of deprivation among them and mitigate their intention to leave Japan. Second, it was empirically determined that former international students have the intention of becoming target earners. Thus, in place of a policy that merely considers facilitating the entry of former international students into the Japanese labor market, it is better to provide systems that can encourage the circulation of migration. Third, it was shown that for former international students, the experience of studying in Japan may hamper their global transition; thus, it is necessary that Japanese educational institutions provide an environment where skills performable globally can be cultivated

The gene regulatory system for specifying germ layers in early embryos of the simple chordate

動物胚の遺伝子発現を数式で表現 --動物の胚葉形成システムをまるごと理解--.京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-06-10.In animal embryos, gene regulatory networks control the dynamics of gene expression in cells and coordinate such dynamics among cells. In ascidian embryos, gene expression dynamics have been dissected at the single-cell resolution. Here, we revealed mathematical functions that represent the regulatory logics of all regulatory genes expressed at the 32-cell stage when the germ layers are largely specified. These functions collectively explain the entire mechanism by which gene expression dynamics are controlled coordinately in early embryos. We found that regulatory functions for genes expressed in each of the specific lineages contain a common core regulatory mechanism. Last, we showed that the expression of the regulatory genes became reproducible by calculation and controllable by experimental manipulations. Thus, these regulatory functions represent an architectural design for the germ layer specification of this chordate and provide a platform for simulations and experiments to understand the operating principles of gene regulatory networks

Chemotherapy-Induced Oesophageal Stricture in a Child with Osteosarcoma: A Case Report

Treatment with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is known to be associated with oesophageal stricture in both children and adults with malignancies. However, oesophageal stricture resulting from chemotherapy alone is a rare complication, with few reports on it. We experienced a rare paediatric case of oesophageal stricture caused by chemotherapy for osteosarcoma of the left distal femur. After completion of the chemotherapy course, the patient showed dysphagia caused by the oesophageal stricture and underwent balloon dilatation for the oesophageal stricture. After balloon dilatation, he was able to ingest solid foods, and the oesophagus was normal without any strictures at the last follow-up (20 months after ballooning). Therefore, oesophageal stricture should be considered as a complication of treatment with chemotherapy alone in children with malignancies

A Workability and sustainability assessment of multistorey earthquake-resistant timber building

Although two-Thirds of the area of Japan is covered with forests, the domestic wood resources are not widely used in the construction sector. Due to the complex design process, construction work and high precision needed, most of timber constructions are limited to one or two-storey buildings. This paper aims to clarify the efficiency of a proposed joint system for CLT walls-steel beams hybrid structure. In addition, the workability and the environmental impact of the proposed hybrid system in comparison to other structures were analysed. The proposed joint system showed higher workability and efficiency compared to other conventional joints in Japan. The construction process of a prototype of a module with the proposed system was studied and confirmed its easier and faster work than the conventional system. A 4-storey building was taken as a case study to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed system. Although the proposed hybrid system showed higher carbon emissions than a conventional CLT alternative, advantage in terms of the environmental impact was confirmed in comparison to a reinforced concrete and a steel structure

A Meta-Analysis of the Short- And Long-Term Results of Randomized Controlled Trials That Compared Laparoscopy-Assisted and Open Colectomy for Colon Cancer

Purpose: We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the short- and long-term results of laparoscopy-assisted colectomy (LAC) and open colectomy (OC) for colon cancer

Xanthogranulomatous inflammation of the perimetrium with infiltration into the uterine myometrium in a postmenopausal woman: a case report

BACKGROUND: Xanthogranulomatous inflammation is an uncommon form of chronic inflammation that is destructive to the normal tissue of affected organs. Although xanthogranulomatous endometritis and xanthogranulomatous salpingitis of the female genital tract has been described previously, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of xanthogranulomatous inflammation with infiltration into the uterine myometrium from the perimetrium without endometritis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 68-year-old Japanese woman with intermittent lower abdominal pain and low-grade fever who was initially treated with antibiotics underwent hysterectomy due to abscess formation in the posterior wall of the myometrium and perimetrium (the outer serosal layer of the uterus). Histopathological findings revealed that the abscess was caused by xanthogranulomatous inflammation with the granulation tissue and chronic inflammatory cells that consisted of focal and sheets of foam cells. The inflammation destroyed the perimetrial elastic lamina, and the myometrium was deeply infiltrated by the xanthoma cells. Neither endometritis nor salpingitis was coexistent with the xanthogranulomatous inflammation. CONCLUSION: The patient was diagnosed as xanthogranulomatous inflammation, most likely arising from the perimetrium. Our findings suggest that the perimetrium, as well as the endometrium and adnexae, is one of the origins of xanthogranulomatous inflammation in female genital tract

DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL JOINT SYSTEM FOR MID-TO-HIGHRISE CLT WALL BUILDINGS IN SEISMIC REGIONS

In Japan, the possibility of multi-story timber buildings is not yet practiced at a large scale due to the complex structural design process and construction cost. In conventional CLT buildings in Japan, a high number of complex steel connections are required. In this practice, complex processing of CLTs panel is also required. The objective of this paper is to propose easy-to-apply and easy-to-design steel joints. The proposed joint is designed to resist both shear and tensile forces to reduce complex steel parts. Single-bolt element tension tests were conducted to investigate the effect of the fibre direction, bolt diameter, and bolt embedded length. Cyclic loading for single and coupled CLT walls with the proposed joints was also conducted. The failure characteristics and strength of single-bolt connections could be predicted by the ratio of bolt embedded length and diameter. The fibre direction was found to have a minor effect on the connection strength. The proposed joint system showed high strength and ductility as found by the cyclic loading. The lateral strength of a wall with two panels was double the single wall case, indicating the lack of interaction between the two panels